Chapter 19

The white dragon froze, unable to move. It let out a loud roar, but couldn’t do anything else.

The sudden change invited the other dragons’ attention, many of which redirected their attacks toward the barrier. The guild used this chance to evacuate all the adventurers who were hurt.

“Can you hold them!?” One of the guild dragon riders shouted. Kakashi gave her a thumbs-up. She went away and picked up the other adventurers, bringing them back to the city.

“What… should we do?” Kakashi looked out of the barrier. Numerous dragons attacked with their legs, their tails, their mouths, and their fire breath. There were around nine of them, all crowded around this tiny barrier.

“Does this barrier have a limit?” Syorin asked.

They never tested it that far. Unfortunately, the answer soon became apparent. Cracks began appearing in the barrier’s surface. It wouldn’t be long before it shattered completely.

“Syorin, Kakashi!” Astill’s desperate yell came from the direction of the city. She stood alone, aiming her staff at the group of dragons. A thick, sinister energy swirled in front of the diamond, aimed straight at the dragons. The dragons were quick to react. A single strike of their tail sent her flying, knocking the staff from her hands.

“Astill!”

“Kakashi, deactivate it!”

Kakashi deactivated his barrier, and Syorin picked him up, running straight to where Astill lay. The second they arrived, Kakashi reactivated the barrier.

“Astill, are you alright!?”

“Think… about… yourself.” She tried acting strong, but the amount of blood coming out of her mouth suggested otherwise.

“Everyone, attack!”

A second wave of attacks headed straight to the dragons, but the adventurers were already tired. They were knocked away easily. Kakashi looked around, unsure what he could do to help. The barrier still had cracks from before, which suggested that it wouldn’t last long.

After scaring the adventurers off, the dragons returned their attention to the barrier. This time, there were thirteen of them, all attacking the barrier at the same time.

In the middle of the loud roars, Kakashi noticed approaching footsteps. They sounded slow, heavy, and most importantly, lonely. Very different from the adventurers' attempt at a combined attack. Kakashi looked in the direction the sound came from. A single person walked on the dirt road, her hair fluttering in the wind.

“I won’t run away anymore.” She unsheathed her sword, the weapon glowing with a pitch-black color. Its color was somehow darker compared to Astill’s diamond.

“Neila!?”

She stabbed the sword into the ground. A magic circle appeared underneath her, spreading across the battlefield. Its diameter was twice the size of Kakashi's barrier.

“My strength…”

“I’m feeling… better?” Syorin and Astill exchanged glances. Kakashi looked at the barrier, which had begun healing itself.

The white dragons weren't about to let this girl turn the tide, though, and struck her at unison.

“Neila!”

Right before the dragon reached her, a person appeared right in front of her. She swung her scythe, its sharp tip stabbing straight through a dragon’s neck. She stepped forward, swinging the weapon around and smashing it straight to the ground, cutting the dragon’s neck off. The other dragons didn’t cower at this new foe. They headed straight for her, but a beam of pitch black light struck through their formation, slicing them apart. It was the same girl from before, the one with cold purple eyes. She pulled back her hood, revealing her medium-length hair with matching colors.

He shifted his gaze toward Syorin. “Should I?”

Syorin gave him a nod, and he deactivated his ability. She then rushed into battle. She struck whichever dragon was left, doing her best to distract them as much as possible. The red dragons returned from the city, striking what’s left of the attacking group.

“Everyone, attack!” the commander shouted, rallying his troops once more. With a loud roar, everyone ran forward. From there on, it was a one-sided slaughter. Something boosted the adventurers’ strength, and those who previously struggled to even get near a dragon now have no problem taking one head-on. Within a couple of minutes, all of the dragons had been wiped out.

“Huff… huff…” Neila struggled for her breath. Kakashi came closer and checked on her.

“Neila, are you alright?”

She pulled the sword out of the ground and sheathed it. “I’m…” She trailed off. Panicking, Kakashi called Syorin over. Syorin ran to her side and supported her.

“We need to get out of here,” Syorin whispered, glancing at the adventurers behind them.

“He- hey… Thank you so much. Thanks to your help, we suffer no casualties-”

“That’s good to know, thanks.” The group quickly walked past the commander, who looked at them, confused.

“Umm… your reward?”

“Just knowing everyone survived is good for us,” Kakashi said. He couldn’t help but feel like a protagonist when he said that. But, he didn’t say it out of the goodness of his heart. They needed to escape quickly. They have already brought a lot of attention to them.

“Hey, it’s the heroes!”

“Heroes! Heroes!”

The adventurers sang them praises, but they didn’t have time to celebrate.

“Can you lend us a dragon?” Astill asked. The commander looked confused at their request, but he didn’t deny it. Syorin gave Neila a healing potion and a mana potion while they waited and helped her drink them.

“I’m better now… thanks.”

A guild staff brought a dragon over, and Neila rode on its back to the city.

“By the way, what was that attack?” the commander asked, likely referring to Neila’s magic circle, but none of them knew the answer. Even Kakashi didn’t know. He didn’t see any ability like that when he checked Neila’s list. He didn’t remember seeing that sword, however, so maybe it was an ability linked to that particular weapon.

The adventurers all tried asking them questions, particularly curious about dark magic and Kakashi’s ability. They didn’t answer any of them, but the silence only made the adventurers even more curious. Question after question came, and all three found themselves at a loss. Luckily, Neila arrived with their carriage in the nick of time. They hopped on board, bid quick farewells, and traveled down the road, heading north. The adventurers were naturally confused at their quick departure, but they sang them praises as they set off.

•••

“We didn’t leave anything important in the inn, right?” Syorin asked, looking through their belongings. They have gotten away from the city, and things have calmed down a bit.

“I… barged in and took everything.”

“Ah, no wonder all my clothes are here,” Kakashi murmured. He had been given some new sets of clothes from the girls, some of which he hadn’t had the chance to wear yet. He’s happy to see them there, undamaged.

“Privacy,” Astill complained, despite her expressions not looking too displeased. “Besides, where were you?”

Neila kept her eyes on the road, which prompted Astill to get up, step to the driver’s area, sit down next to her, then violently pull Neila’s face facing her. The carriage pulled to an abrupt halt.

“I can’t force you to come with me to the empire, but I’m going to force you to explain your disappearance.”

“I…” Neila was left speechless. Kakashi wasn’t sure if he should say anything. He had an inkling after seeing Neila’s sword, but this was something Neila purposely hid, not like her abilities that she willingly shared with them.

“Tell. Me.”

Neila could only avert her eyes. She glanced backward and noticed Kakashi staring at her.

“You… figured it out, haven’t you?”

“... I might be wrong, though.”

“I have a feeling you’ll be right.”

“You want me to say it?”

Neila glanced at Astill, who was glaring sharply at her, then meekly nodded.

“Neila… you’re the princess of the empire, aren’t you? The same one that went missing.”

“You’re what!?” Astill and Syorin screamed at the same time.

“Wait wait wait. You're lying, aren't you? There's just no way!” Astill said.

Neila unsheathed her sword. “Have you ever seen this?”

Astill and Syorin examined it. To Kakashi, that sword looked like an important sword. To Astill and Syorin, that very sword was power incarnate.

“No way…”

“I thought you were a spy at most…”

“Isn't that Kakashi's idea?”

“Wait, you believed me?”

“... Take responsibility,” came a pained whisper. Kakashi and Syorin turned to Astill. Her expression was complicated.

“Take responsibility for all the pain your country has given me!”

“I-”

“Astill! It isn't her fault!” Syorin jumped to Neila’s defense, but Astill didn’t take it well.

“What the hell do you know!?”

“If it's hers, then she wouldn't have run away!”

“I know that!”

Things began breaking apart. Kakashi sat there, not sure what to say. He understood Astill's feelings, but at the same time, the fact that Neila ran away suggested how powerless she was in all of this.

“I- I won't run away anymore!” Neila shouted in a desperate attempt to calm Astill.

“I don't need empty promises! I don’t need useless apologies!”

“Everyone, calm down!”

“Shut up, meathead!”

Syorin tensed up. Despite being called that countless times before, she looked visibly pissed now. “Well, you shut up! What? You think you’re the smartest here, so you can say whatever you want? You’re the one who suffered the most? So everyone has to pay attention to your fragile little feelings!?”

“I'm sorry. I really am, but please, calm down.”

“Oh yeah? You never have anything on your mind! You meathead won’t understand the pain I’ve gone through! I’ll be surprised if that little bitty brain of yours could even comprehend pain! Well, you can’t! All you know is how to punch things!”

“Is that how you really see me all this time!?”

All the voices became a blur. Kakashi could no longer tell who said what. It was a complete mess. One he was powerless to stop.

“You would have died if I hadn’t saved you!”

“I never asked for your rescue in the first place! Go to hell!”

“Everyone, please stop-”

“Shut up, traitor!”

“Pathetic.” A cold, chilling voice came from above the carriage. It was the girl from before, the one who glared at Kakashi when he handed her potions, the one with the scythe. Everyone thought she was speaking to Neila, but she dropped down and grabbed Astill's collar.

“The hell you're talking ab-” Astill's eyes widened. “Four!?”

“I followed you,” she said. “I knew it was you.”

“Four? Where the hell have you been?”

“Looking for you and Five.”

“Any news on Five?”

The girl shook her head. “But I am going to keep searching. I suggest you do the same.”

“...”

“That said…” she glanced at Neila. Neila swallowed her breath, shrinking under the girl’s heavy gaze.

“I overheard your conversation. Are you serious?”

“Am I… Yes!” Neila nodded her head. “The sins of my country are too much. I'm going to stop it, once and for all!”

The girl looked at Neila with a flat expression. Kakashi could discern no emotion coming from her words. The way she spoke and acted made it look as if she was just stating facts, nothing more, nothing less.

“...Very well. I shall accompany you.”

“Four…”

“But, we have your retainers coming after you, Princess.”

Everyone looked behind. A large group of soldiers on horseback chased after them, kicking up dust as they came. Everyone looked at Kakashi.

“Let’s put aside our differences for now. We have a fight coming.”